Little Cups
by Sundiel260
Summary: The Tipsy Troop have, on more than one occasion, gotten themselves in a bit of trouble. Only this time, the trouble is a pair of small children and they have no idea how they got them. So until they find out who or where their parents are, King Dice and his men will have to look after them. Can't be too much trouble... right?
1. Little Problem

What do you think when the word casino pops into your mind?

To those who didn't know very well, it was a place where people went to play games and win money. To those who did know a bit about it, it was a place where adults gamble and tried to win money. And for those who knew it best, it was a place where cheats and crooks where all around where the game is rigged and your money is always on the line.

For King Dice however, this was his place of work. Years and years he worked at the casino, keeping an eye on the games, making sure everything was in line, assisting customers, breaking up fights before they got out of hand, taking care of the drunks, and, his personal favorite, finding souls for the boss to take. The usual things he could take care of in a snap.

So when the Tipsy Troop happened to get in a certain trouble that he could not comprehend, the first thing that came to mind was—

"What. In. The Boss's kingdom. Did you three **_do_**?"

Not his typical response but it seemed more appropriate at the moment as… well, he wasn't too sure what to make of this. Sure the Tipsy Troop had a bad… _habit_ of being nearly drunk _all the time_ , and that led to a lot of strange if not a little awkward situations. There were plenty of times, more than what he could count, where things turned for the worst when he just got a glance at what they had done.

But this?

This he wasn't too sure of.

Rum, the shortest of the troop, had that dumb look of a complete drunk who looked both proud and confused of themselves. "I-I don't *Hic!* I don't know w-what ya mean *Hic!* mean boss."

"I mean." He pointed to the problem. " _This._ "

The problem which he greatly hated about the Tipsy Troop, was that no matter how many times he knew leaving them be, no matter how many times he told them to behave, no matter how many times he half expected to find some mess when one of the workers informed him that they did something wrong, he was always **_always_** surprised to see what they got into trouble with this time.

Only this time, it was a pair of small children.

Small.

Children.

How in the world had these three manage to get a pair of children in a casino? Much more or less how they _got_ them in the first place?!

Rum turned his uneven gaze down to the pair, looking confused more than ever. "Where d-did you *Hic!* you two come f-f-f-from? *Hic!*"

"Don't go forgettin' you dummy! Where did ya'll get these br- _boys_ from?" It felt weird trying hard not to curse around a pair of kids, but if they managed to find their parents, it was most likely that kids would repeat his words to their parents and that wouldn't be good for business.

"I'd danno! *Hic!* I… *Hic!* I…" At this point Rum just started mumbling incontinence words, most of which didn't make even a lick of sense. Sighing, he turned to the main problem of the day.

A pair of small boys, both with cups for heads. They looked practically the same, aside that the one on the left had a wider head, a small red nose, big wide eyes that were so close to each other they were actually touching side to side and on the rim side of his head, and a red sippy cap on top. The one on the right had a thinner taller head, with a large blue nose, smaller eyes, and his sippy cap was blue like his nose.

Almost instantly, he immediately thought that they were twins. They were almost so identical, even down to their dirty ragged looking clothes. They even held each other's hand in a tight grip.

Just more questions he'll have to figure out later when he had the time. "Alright boys." He got down on one knee, trying to look less intimidating as he could clearly see the fear and mistrust in the faces. "How's about you tell ol' King Dice where your parents are n' get this mess sorted out eh? I'm sure you want to be back with your mama."

The two looked at each other a moment, gazing at one another for a while, before looking back at him, silent. He quirked a brow at this. It was… a bit unnerving. Usually the kids he had met were loud, bratty, nosy, messy, running all over the place, and well, downright annoying. He didn't like kids too much, not one bit.

But these kids were oddly silent. Too silent.

"They don't *Hic!* don't talk too much. *Hic!*" Whiskey, the tallest of the troop, pointed out.

"Have they even said a word?" He looked at them, highly doubting that any of them could possibly recall anything about these kids.

"No." Martini replied. "I-in fact, *Hic!* they haven't e-even ma-made *Hic!* made a peep!"

He looked down at the two boys again. They still silently stared up at him. The blue one was looking at him with caution, eyes that knew something was wrong but couldn't pinpoint what the problem was and seemed in the dark about what was going on around him. But the red one…

The red one had his eyes narrowed, almost looking like a glare. A glare that knew there was danger surrounding them, like they expected something to come out and pounce on them. His eyes clearly told that he didn't trust anyone, as evident as he kept the blue one close to him.

This was certainly not normal behavior for young boys to display. Even more was that they weren't displaying anything that screamed normal about them. No screaming, no yelling, no running around, no messes, no noise what so ever. They just stood their staring at him, waiting for… he didn't know. Anything? It was… kinda creeping him out a bit.

"Alright then." He stood back up, straitening his tux. "Guess we'll jus' have to ask 'round. Maybe someone will know who brought these boys in." He shot a glare at the Tipsy Troop. "N' you three, we'll have a talk once yer sober enough ta remember." He looked back down at the boys. "Come on you two. Let's see if yer folks are still here, eh?"

)i(

It should have been easy. There should have been someone who bared a resemblance to these two boys. But no matter where he turned, or where he looked, not one single customer or patron looked even a smidgen close to being related to these two. Demons, skeletons, lost souls, none of them looked to being the boys parents.

Asking around didn't help either. Any bystander he came around to asking had no clue who brought those kids in, nor did they see any who might lead him to finding them. And even a few of them found these kids cute, though the boys kept a good distance away from them.

It didn't make any sense. How did a pair of kids manage to get in this casino without anyone noticing them before? And who brought them here? There was no way they got past security to get in here. And how and why did the Tipsy Troop manage to get a hold of them?

It was just one big mess after another.

"This is a mess." King Dice huffed, rubbing his head after another failed attempt to finding the boys parents. "Are you two messin' with me? Is that why yer here?" He gazed down at the two, who stayed close to each other, never letting the other go. They stayed silent, staring up at him without a word leaving their mouths.

"Of course you stay silent." King Dice sighed, rubbing his face as an oncoming headache started to come on. "Alright. Guess you bra- _boys_ aren't goin' to help me find yer folks. Probably would be better if someone were to come to us lookin' for ya." That made him pause. If their folks were looking for them, how come no one reported to him about someone missing a pair of children? He looked down at them.

The blue one wasn't looking at him anymore. Instead, he was gazing around his surroundings, taking in the sounds and sights that only a casino could hold. His eyes were wide with silent wonder, sparkling like they've just seen snow for the first time. The red one was still glaring at him, though there was a tint of worry in his eyes as he kept taking quick glances to the sides.

Caution and curious. What a strange pair these kids were. Almost as if they were very aware of their new surroundings yet tried to keep close as possible to each other. How strange.

"Dice?"

King Dice jumped. Spinning around, he came face to face with Pirouletta. She took a step back in surprise, clearly not meaning to startle him.

"Oh, miss Pirouletta." King Dice cleared his throat, trying to play off that small display. "I didn't see ya there. What are you doing out of your shift?"

"I'm on break." King Dice glanced at the clock that hung on the far wall over the bar area. Ah. 12:47. Her usual time for her break on weekends. "Who are these boys?" He blinked, finding Pirouletta peering over his shoulder, no doubt having spotted his main problem of the day.

"Jus' a pair of lost kids the Tipsy Troop got a hold of." He stepped to the side, showing the boys to Pirouletta so she could have a better look at them. "I've been tryin' to find their folks but no luck so far. You wouldn't happen to recall seeing someone who could possibly be related to them, could you?"

Pirouletta hummed, looking at the boys carefully. "No. I don't recall anyone that would possibly be their parents."

"Oh. That… that's too bad." King Dice sighed.

"Why would anyone bring small children into casino?" Pirouletta asked, extending a hand out to the small pair who were eyeing her wearily.

"I don't know. N' I would like to know so I can send them back. The casino ain't a playground n' we ain't babysitters."

Pirouletta glanced at him. "You don't think that…" Her voice trailed off, glancing at the boys. "… I'm sure parents are looking for them. They need to be with them."

"Yes." King Dice agreed, looking down at the pair of two small boys. "They should."


	2. What to Do

King Dice had a headache. There was no describing how bad it was or how painful. The only thing he could say was to how this headache came to be. Well, it was all thanks to the Tipsy Troop. Their shenanigans were, by quote, the worst possible way in which the world has ever seen, done, had, and will ever acknowledge.

To say the least he was not happy. Not one bit. He had encountered many problems which those three had done before, but none so much as this which he couldn't handle before. This was a new problem, one which he couldn't describe how bad it was. Of course it was only a pair of small boys, but they strangely had found a way into the casino. And what's worse was that he couldn't find anyone who knew of or related to these two small cups.

King Dice sighed heavily, slamming his face down on the bar's counter. He had given up on finding the boys parents, as it was clear that no one was related or knew of them. It also didn't help that the boys in question didn't help either. He peeked over the edge, glancing down at the two said problems.

All throughout his search for their folks they kept a good distance from him. They managed to stay close to him when he went around trying to find their folk but still didn't get too close to him. He wouldn't have minded if they got lost when he went around the casino, but then he'd had to deal with all the crying and the yelling of their folk once they saw their kids were sad and he would have to throw them out and tell them to never return—

Why didn't he do that? That would have been so much easier to get rid of them! He should have done it! In fact, there was still a good chance that he could still pull it off.

"King Dice? You alright there partner?" King Dice stiffened before letting out a long sigh. He turned his head to acknowledge the living stack of poker chips in cowboy getup behind the counter.

"Oh jus' dandy Chips. Though, I don't recall you bein' in charge of the bar tonight."

Chips shrugged. "The bar tender called in sick, had ta take over tonight."

King Dice groaned, rubbing his forehead. "Great, ain't today jus' full of thin's to go wrong."

"What'da mean boss?"

"I mean them." King Dice pointed at the boys. Chips blinked a bit before leaning over the counter and stared down at the two kids King Dice was stuck with. A wide grin broke out across the cowboy's face.

"Well ain't that a cute little sight! Where'd ya get these two little guys?"

"The Tipsy Troop somehow managed to get their hands on them. I've been trying to send the back to where they came from, but I can't seem to find their folks." King Dice sighed heavily, watching as Chips jumped over the counter, bending down to look at the cup kids. "I've tried gettin' them to talk so I could find their folks easier, but they haven't even said a single word to me!"

"Maybe they're just shy?" Chips reached out a hand, intending to give the boys a friendly hand shake. The boys however backed away from the hand, the blue one hiding behind the red one.

"Probably." King Dice shrugged. He didn't care if they were shy or not, he just wanted to send them off and get this day over with already.

Chips hummed a bit, looking at the small boys intently. "Why are their clothes so raggy looken?"

"How should I know? Their parents probably ain't got 'nough money to get them nice clothes. It's not my business."

Chips nodded, standing up straight again. "Should we inform the boss?"

King Dice's heart almost leapt in his throat. "Of course not!" He hissed, slamming his fist down on the counter, making both Chips and the kids jump. "If the big chess got wind of this, it'll be a fine day in he- _his kingdom_ for all of us! This is not something the boss will need to know about!" He glanced down at the two boys. "It's better if we throw them out now than deal with them any longer."

The two boys eyes widened.

"Whoa! Whoa!" Chips gasped, grabbing both the boys and hiding them behind his legs. "We can't do that!"

"Why not?"

"They're kids for landsakes! We can't just throw out little kids!"

"N' we can't keep them here." King Dice shot the two boys a glare. "This place ain't meant for kids n' you know it."

"I know. But…" Chips glanced down at the boys. They were clinging to his pants, one child behind one leg. The blue one looked close to crying while the red one was glaring hard at King Dice. "But what if their folks come around? What if they come back later n' find out that you threw them out? Don't think the boss will take too kindly when he hears the bad reports folks will hear about this place."

"So? This place already has a bad reputation."

"But not one involving kids."

That made King Dice pause. While it was true that the casino did have a bit of a bad reputation, rumor and management wise, none so were they ever involved with small children before. And some of the patrons he talked with seemed to like kids. And if word got out about how poorly these kids were treated…

"Fine. We'll keep 'em for now. But if their folks don't show up, they're out, got it?"

"Loud n' clear." Chips tipped his hat. "So uh…" He looked down at the two cups still clinging to his legs. "Where are we gonna put them for now?"

)*(

He just had to ask that.

"Put them with you for now. Leave me in yer room till I fix this mess. Yeah shoulda seen that one coming." Chips huffed, leaning back against the wall, watching the two boys. They didn't do much once they got here. All they did was stare around the place and remain in one spot of the room.

Chips like to style his room that reminded him of home. Tan walls, cattle skin rugs, a lasso hung over his bed, a dresser shoved in one corner of the room with his bed in the opposite corner. All neat and tidy, just the way he liked it. Now if he could only figure out how to get these kids to open up a bit.

He liked kids. More than what he could say about his manager, but what could he do? King dice just didn't like kids apparently. He couldn't say why for sure. Kids were fun to watch! They were funny in their innocent own way and had such a huge need to know everything to fill their curiosity. And they were so easy to entertain.

The only problem with this picture though was these kids… well, they didn't act like kids. Sure they were small and young and the blue one was curious about his surroundings, but the red one… the red one was off putting. He stayed still, looking around the room, scanning it like a critic would do when expecting a dish. He hadn't let go of the blue one's hand yet, keeping them close to him. Almost as if he was guarding him or something.

He wasn't an expert on kids, but he was sure that wasn't normal behavior for them to display.

"So, I don't think we've properly introduced ourselves." Chips leaned off the wall, strolling over to the kids and bent down, extending one hand. "Name's Chips. Chips Bettigan. What's your name little fellas?"

The kids just stared at him. Long, and hard. A couple minutes past before Chips got the message that they weren't going to shake his hand. "So, uh, I guess you kids are free to explore round my room! Take a look around and explore!"

The two boys share a look then looked back at him.

"Go on. Nobodies here ta stop ya." Chips smiled a little, hoping it would be enough to encourage them.

It took a few minutes before the message seemed to click in the blue one's head. His eyes widened a bit, looking around with a bit more excitement than he had the moment he got in this little room. He started to tug on the red one's hand, pulling him along as they walked around. They walked around the room, eyeing everything as they walked. Though the red one kept looking back at Chips, eyeing him wearily as the blue one kept pulling him along.

Chips wasn't sure why the red one kept looking back at him. He wasn't even sure why the little guy kept an eye out on him. Did he not trust him? Probably. Little guy and his brother didn't know where they were. Little kids were shy around new things and places sometimes.

Though, the more he thought about it, the more he couldn't help but feel that something else was going on with these two kids.


	3. Under the Bed

Chips wasn't sure what to do at this point. On one side, the kids hardly done anything, which was a plus since they weren't running around destroying anything. But on the other, they just stayed sitting in one corner of the room, looking at the ground. Occasionally they picked at their clothes, pulling off lose strings and played with them for a bit, but that was about it.

This… this wasn't normal kid behavior. From his knowledge about kids, they tend to be more… well, active. He didn't know what to make of this. Surely they weren't completely like this? Especially the way the red one acted.

To the untrained eye, the boy looked like he was just sitting there, but actually he was keeping his guard up. His eyes were alert and searching for something that Chips wasn't aware of, and repeatedly the kid would look at him, staring at him. It was kinda creepy how a small kid would stare at him like he would do something.

And how odd such a small young kid displayed such actions.

And that was worry to say the least.

Still, if their folks were to come by later and King Dice got rid of them, it wasn't really his place to question it. Though it couldn't get off his mind just yet. And he at least wanted to leave a good impression on the boys. They were just small kids after all. They couldn't sit around and do nothing while being scared of everything.

That just wouldn't do. He had to do something. But, what? He couldn't just take them out of his room, King Dice would spot him and have a fit. Looking around, he did notice a lack of well, _anything_ that he could give the boys to play with to busy themselves. And the items he did had were… uh, _dangerous_ for small kids.

Chips attention went back to the boys when he heard something. He knew the distinct sound of a hunger stomach when he heard one. The blue one had a hand over his small tummy, looking rather hungry, and no doubt the red one was feeling the same way. Even if he didn't show it on his face when he looked at the blue one in concern.

"Hungry little fella?" The kids jumped at his voice, turning to stare at him. "It is way past noon…" They continued to stare at him, though the blue one's stomach let out another growl. Chips chuckled a bit. "Alright, you just wait here. I'm sure I can swing by the kitchen n' grab some grub."

It was the least he could do anyway. King Dice surely wouldn't notice him grabbing something for the kitchen, and even if he did, Chips could say that it was for himself to eat. It was a good enough plan.

"Be back in a bit." He told the boys, closing the door behind him and made his way towards the kitchen.

)*(

It took some time and some avoiding from King Dice, but Chips managed to grab some food. It wasn't much, just a loaf of garlic bread and shot glasses filled with water, but he was sure it was enough for the kids.

"Jus' hope no one tells King Dice about this." He sighed with a smile on his face, opening the door to his room. He was about to let his presence be known, but stopped short to his surprise what he found in there. "Wha-WHAT IN TARNATION ARE YOU TWO DOING IN HERE?!"

Pip let out a small yelp of surprise, quickly turning around to face him. If Chips hadn't been used to the strange people that came in and out of the casino for years now, he would have found the living domino couple a strange pair. "Chips! I—er, h-hey buddy! Didn't, uh… didn't hear you coming."

"What are you two doing in here?" Chips asked again with a growl in his voice, setting the food down on the dresser.

"Us? Well we were… uh… we were…"

"We heard a noise in here and thought we should check it out." Dot butted in.

"That doesn't explain why yer peering under my bed." He stepped over to them, his height easily towering over them. He had also taken notice that there was a lack of small boys in his room, which was worrying if King Dice found out about it. "You know very well I don't like snoops in my room."

"Well then why do you have two little snoops in your room?" Dot glared up at him.

"That's what I'm askin' ya."

"S-she didn't mean us." Pip spoke up. "She talking about… well, them." He pointed to the bed.

Chips blinked a bit, getting down on the floor and looked under his bed. Sure enough, there was the missing kids, staring back at him from under his bed. "What in tarnation are they doing under there?"

"Beats us." Dot shrugged, she and her husband looking under the bed as well. "They were under there when we came in once you left."

Chips shot them a glare. Pip only shrugged. "Don't get me wrong though, I never really took you for the type to have kids." Dot eyed him up a bit.

"They ain't mine. The Tipsy Troop found 'em n' King Dice been trying to find their parents."

"Ooooh. That explains why he looked pretty mad." Pip exclaimed.

"He still hasn't found them?"

"No. If he did, then they still wouldn't be here." Dot confirmed.

Chips nodded his head in agreement. He then remembered why he left the room in the first place, going back to the dresser and grabbing the food. He went back to the bed, setting the drinks down and held out the bread.

"What are you doing?"

"Givin' them food. They're pretty hungry."

Dot shot him a look. "You don't plan on giving them food on the _floor_?"

"No. Not unless they come out."

"They're not." Pip whined, rubbing his left hand.

"We tried to bring them out but the red one bit this wimp's hand."

"It was a very strong bite!"

"No it wasn't."

"He almost drew blood for me!"

"No he didn't. He's just a _kid_. Kids don't have strong jaw bones."

"Look." Chips interrupted them before they could go into one of their back and forth arguments. "Why don't you two mosey on outta here? I don't want the kids around ya when you fight."

Pip looked like he wanted to protest, but Dot beat him from saying a word. "Are those, _shot glasses?_ "

"Uh, yeah?"

"Don't tell me you were thinking of giving these kids alcohol!" Pip gasped, covering his mouth in shock.

"What-?! No! They're filled with water numbskulls!" Chips picked up a glass, showing it to them. "I ain't that dumb enough to give them something like that!"

"But in a _shot glass_?!" Dot seethed.

"It was the only thing I could take without anyone growing suspicious okay?! Give me a break!"

"Well you could have just taken a cup! _That_ would have been more sufficed!"

"Okay listen here you!" At that point, Chips started to argue with the couple about drinking containers and somehow spieled in an argument about clothes and room decorations. This went on for about twenty minutes or so, neither side noticing the looming figure standing at the doorway watching the whole thing.

If King Dice had the energy, he would have had the trio stop arguing by now. But he didn't. Instead he just stood in the doorway, arms crossed with one hand pinching his nose as he watched in irritation. He originally was here to find out why Chips had taken some bread and shot glasses with him out the kitchen. He knew living poker chip stack didn't normally eat until 3:30, and it was only 2:57.

But seeing as this now, he was more concern if Chips and Pip&Dot would start throwing stuff at each other. Finally he had enough. "QUIT IT!"

All three froze, turning their eyes towards him and immediately jumped to their feet. "Mr. King Dice!" They shouted, saluting him.

"Look, I ain't in the mood for whatever it is yer all doin'. N' I ain't in the mood for funny business. Chips, where's that bread ya took from the kitchen?"

A small 'urp' came from under the bed. Pip and Chips exchanged looks, glancing down at the bed.

"… uh… rats?"


	4. Time With the Couple

"It was jus' some bread! It wasn't anythin' expensive or nothin'! You can't get mad at me jus' cause the kids were hungry."

"I. Don't. _Care_. Little runts or not, ya can't jus' be takin' food out of the kitchen to feed a pair of kids we ain't keepin'."

"But—"

"Listen here Chips." King Dice got close to Chips face, his eyes glowing menacingly. "We ain't keeping them. We ain't gettin' attached to them. N' we ain't gonna be friendly with 'em! Got it?!"

"But—"

"Got. **_It?_** "

Chips stayed silent for a moment before sighing, nodding his head reluctantly.

" _Good_. I'll deal with you later." King Dice turned to Pip and Dot, glaring down at them. "You two. Watch the runts. I need to talk with the Tipsy Troop n' see if they remember anythin'."

"Y-yes sir." The pair mumbled, watching King Dice and Chips walk off. Once they were gone, the couple sighed.

"Great. Now King Dice is mad. This is going to be a rough night."

"With King Dice around, _every_ night is a rough night."

"True. True." Pip sighed, looking at the door that led to Chips room. "So, shall we?"

"Like we have any choice." Dot huffed. They went to the door, opening it up and peeked inside. It was empty, but they knew where to look. Going over to the bed, they peeked under it. The little boys stared back at them, their mouths covered with crumbs.

"Hey there! Miss us?" Pip took off his hat, showing a smile on his face. The kids just stared at him. "Soo, good news. We've been tasked to look after you now."

"The bad news, you have to come with us."

"Which means you have to get out from under there." Pip's smile wavered, placing his top hat back on. The red kid glared at them. " _please don't bite me_." Pip mumbled, reaching under the bed.

)*(

"Oooowwwww."

"Oh quit your whining! I keep telling you that his jaw is not that strong!"

"He _literally_ drew blood from me!" Pip exclaimed, showing his wife his wounded hand.

"It's not that bad numbskull! It's only a small bite mark."

"A bite mark that drew blood!"

"Wimp." Dot huffed as her husband mumbled under his breath, tending to his hand. "At least you managed to get them out from under there." She looked to the corner where the boys had scurried to, not moving an inch the moment they've sat there.

"Should have been better if they stayed under there." Pip mumbled, rubbing his sore hand.

"Well too bad. We couldn't stay in Chips' room anyway. He'd just keep complaining at us to get out."

"But is the break room any better?" Pip cast a gaze around the room. The break room, as the name suggested, was an area in the back of the casino where some of the casino's workers resided when on break. It was a small area, with a large couch pushed to one side of the room with a dartboard hanging on the opposite side of the wall. A small part in one corner was turned into a kitchen, with a working over, fridge, and even an assortment of tools used for cooking.

A table sat almost in the center, with Pip and Dot seated at one of the chairs, keeping their eyes on the boys, while also tending to Pip's wounded hand. "What's the matter with the break room?" Dot huffed, crossing her legs. "There's nothing wrong with watching them from here."

"Yes but, what if someone were to walk in and sees the boys and—"

"Pip. Honey. Sweet cheeks. It doesn't matter."

"But—"

"Ssh. It doesn't matter. So what if someone were to walk in? We can handle them. It's not like someone we don't like is going to walk through that door." She pointed to the doorway, which at that moment Mr. Wheezy walked in. "… _nuts_ …"

The couple watched in silence as the living cigar made his way over to the couch, plopping himself down with a disgruntle huff, taking out a cigarette from his pocket and setting one end alight before pooping it into his mouth and taking a long drag. Dot cringed.

It wasn't that they disliked Mr. Wheezy, it was just that Wheezy tended to be a bit… curt with them. Along with how he stunk of cigars, some workers who didn't smoke as much tended to avoid him.

"An' what are you two looken' at eh?" Mr. Wheezy growled, making Pip jump and Dot huff.

"Nothing." Dot turned them around, placing their back on Mr. Wheezy.

" _This is bad._ " Pip said in a hush tone.

" _I know that._ "

" _What are we going to do?!_ "

" _Just shut up and let me think!_ "

"Are you two done blabbering over there? I'm trying to relax here."

Dot's face went red. "Well _excuse_ us then! We're trying to have a conversation between us so if you would kindly keep out of it!"

"Oh I would. If you didn't mumble so loudly ya fused freak."

Dot had enough. Growling, she jumped off the chair, grumbling under her breath as she and her husband left the room. " _Stupid over grown smelly cigar! I outta—!_ "

"Dot! Go back!" Pip struggled to move their body back to the break room, failing immensely since only Dot had control of their legs.

" ** _Why?!_** Just so _He_ can continue to insult us?!"

"No. The kids!"

"What kid—" Dot stopped, blinking a few times. "… NUTS!" She quickly turned around, running back into the break room and skidded to a halt once inside. To their horror, Mr. Wheezy was no longer on the couch and instead looking over the boys, reaching a hand out at them. "STOP!"

Wheezy flinched, looking over his shoulder at the two. "Oh, it's just you. Back from more?" He huffed, puffing out a cloud of smoke as the couple came up to him.

"We just came back for them." Pip pointed to the boys.

Mr. Wheezy cast a glance at the kids. "… you went an' let two runts into the casino?"

"No!"

"We're just tasked to watch over them since Chips can't right now. And they're not runts! They're boys."

"I know that." Mr. Wheezy took a drag of his cigar, blowing a puff of smoke out on their faces, making them gag. "But why waste your time with 'em? King Dice won't like it if he found out you two took in a pair of runts to watch over."

"He *Hack! Hack!* told us to *Hack!* watch 'em!" Pip said through coughing fits, trying to clear away the smoke with his hat.

"Wait, what? You're joking."

"It's true!" Dot exclaimed, her eyes watering from the sting of the smoke.

"You do know the boss hates kids right?"

"We know!"

"So why would he let two runts stay in the casino an—" Mr. Wheezy turned to look back at the boys, only finding the space empty of such children. "… where did they go?"

"What?!"

"They're gone?!" Pip and Dot push Mr. Wheezy aside, looking at the spot the boys were momentarily and now gone without a trace. "Oh no!"

"King Dice is going to _kill_ us!"

"Heh. Well, have fun you two." Mr. Wheezy stood, smiling with an evil grin. "My breaks over. Have fun finding those runts." He walked away, leaving the worried couple dreading of their fate.

Pip looked down at Dot while she looked up at him. "… we got to find them." The sprinted into action. They started by checking around the room, hoping that the boys were still in the room and were just hiding. They checked the cupboard, the sink, the oven, under the couch, the table.

Nothing.

Their hearts sank. The only thing they could have done not to be found in the room, was if they weren't in the room and instead out there. Dot kicked it into over gear as she race out the room.

"KIDS! BOYS WHERE ARE YOU?!" Pip shouted as Dot ran. "Oh man! King Dice is going to get us good if he finds out we lost them!"

"I know that! I'm more worry about the kids!" Dot stopped, panting as she wondered which direction to go. "This place is not kid proof! They could get lost, or hurt, or—"

"PRESTO!" The couple stopped, hearing a familiar voice down one of the corridors. A pigeon flew out the corridor, and after glancing at one another, Pip and Dot peeked in. To their surprise, there was Hopus Pocus, sitting on the floor instead of inside his top hat, spinning his wand around while making cards dance on his sleeve. Sitting in front of him were the missing boys, entranced by the display the magician was preforming.

"There you are!" Dot exclaimed as Pip sighed in relief. The boys flinched, turning their head towards them as they came over.

"Oh jeez. You kids really scared us for a moment there!" Pip turned to Hopus. "Thank you for finding them."

"I didn't find them. They found me!" Hopus smiled, looking at the boys. "They just came running into me and were really sad looking. So I just started a little show for them to cheer them up." He blinked a bit before looking at the couple with pleading eyes. "Can I still show them a few tricks?"

Pip and Dot looked at each other, than at the boys. The red one stared at them while the blue one looked at them pleadingly with those big eyes of his.

"… I don't see why not."


	5. Questions

Being the manager of the Devil's Casino meant one if not a lot of things. Sure, it was a lot of work with what the position required, but he was used to that. Had been the moment he started working here. Some days were easier to deal with than others. But that couldn't be the same thing the other way around.

On days like this, when things are just too much and there was no easy simpler way in sight, it was easier to bottle it all up, take it somewhere else, and continually hit your head against the wall.

He could probably handle this better but he didn't have the energy to do so right now. Besides, it wasn't like anyone could stumble upon this and think he was contemplating suicide. Because that would both be stupid and incapable.

Something of a perk when you're the Devil's right-hand man.

Still, it didn't mean he was spared of the headaches that came with this job. The Tipsy Troop were a lost cause at this point since they were **_still too drunk_** to give him any proper information about the two boys. This was bad in some many ways that he couldn't comprehend how much trouble his was going to be in if the boss found out about this.

There had to be a way to fix all this mess. He didn't want to be stuck with this sort of problem forever! There was no way they could keep the brats not that he wanted to. None of the workers had dealt with children before and he was pretty sure over half of them didn't care about kids so much that they would turn a blind eye on them!

A heavy groan escaped him, turning his back to the wall and sitting himself on the floor, covering his face with one hand. They finally done it. The Tipsy Troop had finally done it. They managed to do something so stupid and unpredictable that he could just not deal with.

Could this day get any worse?

"Hey boss? Why are you on the floor?" King Dice almost jumped, sighing irritably as the smell of cigars wafted by his nose.

"Thinkin'. What do you want Wheezy?" King Dice practically growled, looking up at the cigar. He was in no mood to deal with whatever Wheezy had to tell him. He just wanted to have a couple shots right about now and hit the hay till morning.

Mr. Wheezy glanced at him but said nothing. He knew better than to question King Dice about anything he did. Even if he did, he knew it would only end in pain for him. King Dice didn't particularly like Wheezy. Why? Nobody really truly knew.

King Dice wasn't even sure why he took Mr. Wheezy in as one of his henchmen, though there was no point in trying to get rid of him now, even if King Dice wasn't sure what Wheezy did under his service.

"So." Wheezy leaned against the wall, rolling the cigar in his mouth. "I jus' saw two little runts in the break room. The fused freaks say that you told them to watch them."

"I did." King Dice huffed, not missing the smile drop from Wheezy's face.

"Wait, what? Those two were tellin' the _truth?_ "

"Yes, they were tellin' the truth." King Dice growled, getting up off the floor and dusting off his suit. " _I_ gave 'em that order to watch 'em. Now if you excuse me, I have a casino to manage." He didn't add in that he had other things to take of too, but then again he really didn't care to give Wheezy any sort of information.

"Should I tell ya that they lost them too?"

King Dice's heart missed a beat. "… **_WHAAAAAAT?!_** "

)*(

Hopus was, by default of his animal nature and his own need to fill in knowledge, a curious being. Ever since he was a little bunny he had always been more curious about everything. To his surroundings, to items, to people, to books, to even the great mysteries of the world. But his curiosity couldn't match up to his joy and attachment to magic.

Ever since he first laid eyes on the first magic show as a kid, he knew right away that it was the career meant for him. So he studied, practiced, and mastered the arts of magic. Every trick he knew, every stunt he performed, every small magic trick to the biggest and grandest he could do without breaking a sweat. Someone could say he was gifted with this talent all too naturally, and maybe they were right.

But magic didn't solve questions. Sure it provide uses to _answer_ questions, but never solve any. It couldn't help him out of everything, couldn't answer his deepest questions. It couldn't tell him the things he needed to know or what he wanted. Such things had great limits that cannot be broken beyond their boundary.

"So where did these two come from?" He asked, looking at the couple. Pip and Dot were nice people in his opinion. When they wanted to be or not arguing with each other. They were nice to talk with and hang out when things were slow or work on new routines together.

Pip shrugged while Dot sighed. "Honestly? No clue." Pip said with a frown on his face.

"All we know is that it's somehow that Tipsy Troops fault." Dot's eyes never left the boys. They were occupied by the moment petting and holding Hopus pet bunnies. No relations. Still, Hopus wasn't a dummy as he let people think he was at times. He could tell there was something up with these boys.

No kid he had ever met flinched or looked at a bunny like it would cut you if you moved the wrong way. Everyone practically knew bunnies were basically harmless. The only harm they could do was scratch you or bite your finger if you put your hand too close to their face.

But the boys had acted like they've never _seen_ a bunny before. Which was odd, and weird, and a little sad all at the same time. Which wouldn't do. He couldn't let it stand by and let these boys be afraid of something as harmless as a bunny. It just wasn't right!

"No kidding?" Hopus knew the Tipsy Troop were capable of many things, but children? That was a new one. "Have that got names?"

"They won't talk."

"We've tried to get them to lighten up a bit, but they refuse to even say a single word." Dot looked between torn of rejection and great sadness. Pip's frown deepened.

"They ain't natural kids." Pip sighed, taking off his hats and brushing off nonexistent dust off it. "Kids ain't supposed to act like there's monsters all around."

"Or hide under beds—"

"—or bite people—"

"—or look confused when someone asks about their parents—'"

"—it's almost as if they never knew about that word before." Pip finished, setting his hat back on top. "I never had a normal childhood, but I know that I was at least normal acting child."

"Me too."

Hopus nodded his head slowly. He too wasn't a normal kid growing up, but he recalled many good times in his childhood to his early teens. These kids however—

" ** _PIP N' DOT_**!"

The three adults jumped. Storming down the hall looking ready to murder someone, or two someone's, was King Dice himself. Hopus frowned. He had seen King Dice mad plenty of times. At him or other people. It was never a good thing when he was mad, and no one could do a thing about it.

" ** _I HAVE THE RIGHT TA—!_** " King Dice stopped short, his eyes landing on the two boys cowering behind Hopus's leg. His eyes dratted to Pip & Dot and back at the boys a couple times. Finally, he settled his narrowed green eyes at the couple. "Why in the world are ya all huddled in the hallway, eh?"

Pip and Dot looked nervous, sweating up a storm and Hopus knew he had to jump in and save 'em. "I was showing them new tricks." King Dice glared at him now. "They were interested to see and the boys seemed to enjoy the show." He looked at the boys. "Right boys?" They nodded in agreement. "See?" He put on a brave smile. It faded however by the surprised look on King Dice's face.

"Wait… They _responded_ to ya?"

"Well, yeah, they did." Hopus looked back at the boys, not getting what was so strange about—

"Quick! Quick! Ask 'em 'bout their folks!" King Dice was nearly up in his space, looking at the boys with wide eyes.

"Why?"

" _DON'T QUESTION ME JUS' ASK 'EM!_ " Hopus reeled back.

"O… k…" He looked down at the boys, putting on a soft smile. They stared back up at him, bunnies clutched to their chest. "Uh, boys… is it alright if I call you that?" The blue one looked at the red one, blinking at each other before looking up at him and shrugged. "Okay, boys, can you tell us about your mommy and daddy?"

Their faces scrunched a bit, looking at each other with confusion. Hopus chuckled nervously, feeling King Dice glare on him. "Uh, boys, is there anything you can tell us about your folks? Like, what they look like, or who they are, or what their names might be?"

They stared at him, looking more and more confused by the second with his questions. He had a feeling. It wasn't a good feeling. Swallowing a lump in his throat he asked one more question. "Uh… d-do you boys even know what a mommy and daddy are?"

King Dice, Pip, and Dot looked at him like he was crazy, but then again he was. But that didn't matter in a moment as the boys looked at each other, looked up at him, and shook their heads.


End file.
